Japan 2 defeated England 0
JPN – Kaori Chiba FG 41m, Sakae Morimoto FG 62m

England attacked this 5-8 play-off game in a positive way after their disappointment of narrowly missing on a semi-final berth. They consistently pressured the Japanese circle for the first fifteen minute but their only really dangerous chance came from a penalty-corner when Crista Cullen’s shot was deflected by the Japanese keeper. The Japanese stayed regrouped in defense and were reduced to using high ball to clear their defensive zone.

The Japanese first incursion in the English circle (20th mn) after a quick counter-attack nearly earned them a goal when Sakae Morimoto ‘s powerful shot from the top of the circle missed the target by a few centimeters. The game settled in midfield for a long period, with both teams giving away balls or wasting chances with untidy play. A long run by Kaori Chiba earned Japan a series of penalty-corners that they could not convert. Chiba had another chance to open the scoring in the dying seconds of the half when she arrived one-on-one with English goal-keeper Katy Roberts but lost the ball before adjusting her shot.

The second half seemed to follow the same pattern, with frequent turnovers in midfield from both side, until the 41st mn when Kaori Chiba received a ball from a quickly played long corner, pivoted and slotted the ball out of reach of the keeper.

With the Japanese efficiently occupying the space in midfield, England could seldom penetrate their defense and it took an individual effort from Lucilla Wright in the 56th mn for their first dangerous shot on goal, with the rebound nearly batted in by Rachel Walker. Kaori Chiba scored her second goal of the game (her forth of the competition) in the 62nd mn after a long run by Sakae Morimoto through the whole English defense.

England had a late surge but could not capitalize on a series of penalty-corners, leaving Japan to celebrate their accession to the 5th/6th play-off game.

China 4 defeated South Africa 0
Goals: CHN – Ren Ye FG 14m, Ma Yi Bo PC 18m, Sun Zhen FG 29m, Tang Chun Ling FG 70m

China will play in the match to decide ninth place after a 4-0 victory over South Africa in their classification match.

The win was set up in the first half which China dominated with three goals as they had little trouble penetrating the South Africa defence with quick play and clean skills.

It took 14 minutes for the scoreboard to reflect the flow of play before Ren Ye scored an easy tap in after South Africa failed to clear their defensive zone despite having an opportunity to do so.

The first goal was quickly followed by a second, with Ma Yi Bo ripping a drag flick high into the left corner of South Africa goalkeeper Caroline Jack’s net.

The South African midfield was almost non-existent in the opening 35 minutes as China enjoyed quick passage from defence into attack and peppered their opponent’s circle with regularity.

Trailing by thee goals at the break, there was little hope of South Africa staging a successful recovery but they battled gamely in the second half and had the better of the scoring chances.

However they lacked a striker who could convert those chances into goals and were unable to get any reward for their improved second half performance.

Less than 10 seconds from full time, China added their fourth goal to complete the scoring.

USA 1 defeated Germany 0
USA – Tiffany Snow FG 37mn

USA controlled the beginning of the game but could not really create any dangerous chances. Both teams had some untidy plays in midfield that resulted in multiple turnovers. The penalty-corners attempts were also unsuccessful at both ends, with the teams relying only on straight forward direct shots. The game opened up with ten minutes to go, producing an entertaining end of half but no goal.

Finally in the 37thmn Tiffany Snow received the ball on the penalty stroke point after a good run along the back line by Kate Barber and she left no chance to Yvonne Franck in the German goal.

The Germans tried to react but could not find the key to penetrate the American defense. They also had trouble finding each other in a clogged midfield and were mostly dangerous through the rushes of Natasha Keller.

USA controlled play in the final minutes to earn an excellent win. They will now play for 5th or 6th place, a level that they had not achieved since their 3rd place at the 1994 World Cup. Germany, on the other hand can only be disappointed with their performance; they could never find the form that saw them win the Champions Trophy in July (and the Olympic Games in Athens) and cannot finish better that 7th.

Netherlands 3 defeated Argentina 1
NED – Sylvia Karres FG 13mn, Miek van Geenhuizen FG 45mn, Kim Lammers FG 60mn; ARG – Maria DeLa Paz Hernandez FG 64mn

The Netherlands had the early pressure in this first semi-final, but could not penetrate deep enough in a very compact and steady Argentinean defense. Argentina took control of the play for a period, pushed by a determined Luciana Aymar, but it was The Netherlands who opened the scoring in the 13th mn by Silvia Karres deflecting at close range a free hit from Janneke Schopman.

The goal triggered an Argentinean reaction, with Soledad Garcia and Luciana Aymar displaying their skills, but the Dutch defense stood its ground with poise. Argentina thought that they had scored in the 30th mn, but the penalty corner shot was ruled high. They forced two more penalty-corners with time running out but could not control the ball to adjust a decisive shot.

It took a little while for the second half to find its rhythm, but Eefke Mulder set it in motion with a long run towards the right of circle and a powerful shot that sailed in front of the goal. After a period of intense Argentinean pressure and some hot situations in front of their goal, The Netherlands took advantage of a free hit just outside of the circle to increase their lead by Miek van Geenhuizen who managed to set free from her marking and unleashed a low reverse stick shot.

This seemed to take some wind out the Argentinean sails and their intensity diminished enough for The Netherlands to regain control of the play in midfield through Minke Smabers and Fatima Moreira de Melo, both very active. The Argentineans tried to rely on individual rushes but consistently lost the ball in their duels. The Netherlands put the result somewhat beyond doubt in the 60th mn by Kim Lammers deflecting through her legs a cross from Eefke Mulder.

However Argentina would not relinquish their world title without a last hurrah and scored a goal in the 64th mn after a quick counter-attack. With The Netherlands reduced to ten players after Sylvia Karres drew a yellow card for a tackle on Luciana Aymar, the Argentinean fans started to imagine a come-back but their very vocal support could not lift enough their team and the Dutch were off to their third World Cup final in a row.

Australia 1 defeated Spain 0
AUS – Suzie Faulkner PC 71mn

There was a full house on hand to support the local team in their quest to reach the Final, an achievement that would be way over their current world ranking of 10th. Unfortunately, they had to play without their charismatic Captain Silvia Muños, injured in the last pool game.

Nuria Camon inherited from the Captain armband and tried to lead by example with some deep rushes in the Australian ranks. Australia maintained their composure and structure to weather the storm, then patiently took some control on the play.

Spain had a good chance in the 22nd mn with a penalty corner that created a very hot situation a few meters in front of Rachel Imison, but the Australian defense managed to clear the ball. Spain maintained the momentum, earning a series of penalty corners, but Maria Romagosa’s powerful shots were saved three times by the defense.

Spain didn’t seem to tire in the second half and kept pushing Australia on their back foot for the first ten minutes. Nevertheless, it is Australia who had the first real chances with a succession of corners played in a corrida atmosphere. With time passing, the play moved deeper in the Spanish defensive zone but Australia could not manage to score despite trying different options in a succession of penalty corners, and peppering the Spanish goal from various angles.

Desperation appeared n the last fifteen minutes, desperation to capitalize on the multiple chances on one side, desperation to hold the score on the other. The crowd was totally into the game, vibrantly supporting their team on each ball. Playing high on emotions, the Spaniards used a turn-over in midfield to push back the Aussies and earn a pair of critical penalty-corners.

The game went widely back and forth in the dying minutes of regular time. After a ball rolled in front of the empty Spanish goal without anybody able to put a stick on it, a last Spanish surge earn them a penalty corner on the hooter… just when a power outage plunged the stadium in the dark! Drama at its highest in Madrid!

The penalty-corner was finally played after a ten-minute interruption, certainly an odd situation for the players. The first attempt created another penalty-corner, but Nicole Arnold cleared the second one, much to the relief of the whole Australian contingent. So the game went to overtime, with the rule of the “Golden Goal” in effect.

After surviving such a scare, the Australians were quick off the mark and earned a penalty corner. Suzie Faulkner managed to deflect in goal the initial shot of Angie Skirving, sending Australia to the Final on Sunday against The Netherlands. Spain will play Argentina for the Bronze Medal after a superb performance that exceeded the expectations of its most optimistic supporters.